In light of South Korea’s high smartphone penetration rate, the problem of smartphone addiction could emerge as a major social issue, with nearly 80 percent of users showing addictive behavior, a study showed.

The survey conducted by the Gyeonggi Research Institute on 1,004 smartphone users showed that 82.4 percent said they cannot do everyday tasks and often feel anxiety if separated from their mobile devices.

According to the study, over 1 in 2 respondents said their amount of personal leisure time had gone down (54.4 percent) and their sleeping hours had been reduced (51.6 percent) due to daily smartphone use.

But 67.7 percent said their quality of life had improved and 54.2 percent said work efficiency had increased with their mobile devices.

Although there were both negative and positive feedback based on the pattern of using smartphones, about half the respondents had experienced smartphone addiction, according to the research.

Some 54 percent regarded themselves as too dependent on their mobile devices, while 91 percent saw others as smartphone addicts.

Almost 87 percent said they should reduce the amount of time they spend using their smartphone, noting the risks of addictive behavior.






Experts say those considered at risk of addiction experience withdrawal symptoms physically and mentally if they do not have access to their device.

Oh Jae-ho, a researcher who participated in the survey, said, “Addiction-prone smartphone users will have difficulty voluntarily restricting themselves from using mobile devices.”

The report suggested the government should create policies to deal with the issue, such as providing education programs at schools and issuing counseling guidelines for high-risk users.

Last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government started to put up signs along the streets and on pavements at five locations to warn citizens of the dangers of being occupied with smartphones on streets.

According to the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, the number of traffic accidents arising from the use of smartphones more than doubled from 437 cases in 2009 to 1,111 cases in 2014.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Health and Welfare released a report that addiction to smartphones has reached “serious” levels, especially among young South Korean women, with single people more susceptible to experiencing problems.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)